The Forbidden Game: The Return
by IheartL
Summary: Zoe Locke isn't your average girl. Ever since she was small, she'd heard of a certain Shadow Man: Julian. Ever since then, she has longed for one thing, and one thing only. To give him the light to his darkness.
1. Prologue

[Concept and Characters based on and taken from L.J. Smith's original work.]

Prologue

Voices whispered deep in the pit. A pit filled with shadows and the bones of the long dead.

"We need another… one more to balance us out once again," was whispered, in a low sound that resembled snow blowing through the air.

"But after the last we added to our ranks… can we trust him?" said another one, this one sounding as though it had been distorted by being filled with metal and glass.

"The young are foolish, to be sure," this voice was heart wrenchingly beautiful, filled with ice and loneliness, seeming to echo more than the other voices did inside of the pit.

"So long as we keep this one in check, we will not have the same situation… if it does occur once again, as it did with _**him**__…_ well… we shall simply have to carve out another name from the runestave…" A final voice said in a commanding tone. It had a grotesque and withered voice, sounding both very young and very old.

Chuckles came from all of the voices, each disturbingly creepy in their own ways, the sounds bouncing off the walls repeatedly, bombarding the ears with the sound of pure evil…


	2. Moving

**Chapter One**

**Nine years after Julian's name was carved out of the runestave…**

**California, America**

"And the water kept rising and rising once the whispers faded… I was so scared, but I still used my brains…" A woman's voice said. The woman in question had hair like liquid amber and eyes as green as the Nile. She was on a bed, cuddled up with a small child, a child with the same coloured eyes as she had. This woman's name was Jenny Locke, formerly Jenny Thornton, or simply Thorny to her husband.

The little girl in Jenny's arms was tiny, with her mother's eyes and mouth, but her father's smile, nose and hair.

Perfection…

Ever since this little girl was born, she'd always gotten compliments, affection, over her doll-like smallness and looks. She yawned slightly and nodded her head.

"What next, mommy?" The small child asked. She looked younger than she actually was at five years of age; the same age that Jenny had been back when... well… her life had changed forever.

"Well… I used a rune, Isa, to turn the rising water into ice… but I didn't realise that it would hurt me too…" Jenny said softly to her daughter. She padded the story to suit her daughter's age, not mentioning in detail emotions and the perils she had faced, not wanting to scar the child. "But anyway Zoe, you need to sleep now… I'll tell you more about it tomorrow night… okay?"

Zoe blinked and tried to protest, like children did, wanting more. "But…"

"No… you need your sleep…" Jenny said and kissed her daughters forehead gently before tucking her in the bed once she got out of it.

"Good night, my princess…" She said softly and stroked her daughter's cheek before moving down the stairs, to where her husband and lifelong love was waiting for her on the couch.

Tom's older face was still handsome and youthful, but with a few lines that crossed it when he laughed or smiled, which he did every time he saw Jenny.

"Is Zoe asleep?" He asked Jenny as he watched her sit down next to him. He picked up the remote and changed the channel as he waited for his wife to reply.

Jenny smiled at that and leaned into Tom's side, her arms going around one of his as she nodded. "Yes, though the little munchkin wanted more time…" She said fondly before she closed her eyes, relaxing against him.

Tom smiled and glanced down at Jenny, kissing her forehead gently before looking back at the television. "Umm… Thorny…?" He said softly, signalling something important.

Jenny opened her eyes and looked up at Tom. "What is it, Tommy?" She said, saying his nickname in exchange, her mouth and eyes smiling.

Tom smiled before he sighed slightly. "My work… they want us… me… to go to England…" He said softly and looked at her, his eyes nervous. He knew what a big deal this was.

"But… what about my job…? Zoe? Our friends…!" Her voice raised as panic set in. She didn't like the idea one bit! Moving out of the country? Her home? Heck no!

Tom sighed. "I know… but… it could lead to a promotion… the boss picked me out especially…" He said and looked down before closing his eyes.

Jenny sighed. It wasn't like she hadn't been to another world, a world of ice and shadows, so surely England would be a piece of pie… right?  
>"It's okay Tommy… I know we'll get through it…"<p> 


	3. A Dream

**Chapter Two**

Later that night in Zoe's room, the wind stirred outside, causing the branches to whip against the windows, making a light scraping noise against the glass as it did.

Zoe's eyelashes fluttered against her skin as she dreamed of her mother's story. She didn't see it as a tale of horror at all, but more like a romantic fairytale.

She liked this Shadow Man.

She'd been told the story many times already, and each time she liked Julian the best, partly due to her mother's padding of the tale and partly due to the fact that it was clear that Julian had loved her mother very much.

He was like a prince and her mother like a princess. But for some reason little Zoe couldn't understand, her mother and Julian had not gotten together. Her childish mind could not comprehend that sometimes loving a person wasn't enough to get them to love the other person back, or other complications such as that.

She also didn't think of the consequences of her not being around if her mother and Julian had 'gotten married' as Zoe liked to think of it.

All Zoe wanted was to give Julian a light to his darkness. Her mind was so literal that she dreamed about literally handing him a light, such as a lit candle, for his darkness.

She found it so sad in her pure little heart that Julian had to 'leave', and dreamed of him often, trying to help him in her own little way. She wanted Julian to be happy in his dream, the dream he'd dreamed up of.

The dream her mother had said he'd gone to after he'd disappeared in her arms before he'd gone out as her mother had held him to her, disappearing like shadows did as the sun rose up high in the sky.

She sighed in her sleep and shifted, the covers falling off of the bed as she moved around.

Some hours later, she stirred. It was some time in the early hours of the morning, at least 5.30am, as some children seemed to do. She mumbled as she slowly woke up and blinked as she was filled with an unshakeable idea in her head; an idea that would never leave her.

To one day help Julian to come back into the universe…


	4. Realization

**Chapter Three**

**Eight years later, near London**

The streets were busy as a thirteen year old Zoe looked around at the various shops and stalls that littered the centre of the town that she and her family now lived in. She hardly remember living anywhere else, but she knew that they'd come from America, that they had family back there, and her parents had friends, too. They got letters, presents and money every Christmas from them.

Zoe sighed and paused as she looked into a window, to gaze at her own reflection. She looked and felt so different to the other people here. She had a glow that came from living in the sun, though it had dimmed slightly since living in the UK, and an obvious American look about her.

It got her stares and looks of surprise as they caught her mixture of accents, since she'd picked up a slight British accent. So she now sounded like an upper-class American, rather than just having a regional accent.

She bit her lip as she walked, wondering where she was even going. She just had a feeling, a feeling to move to a certain part of town, a part she'd never been in before.

It scared her, this feeling, as well as intrigued her. She'd always followed her feelings, allowed them to take over her too easily. Her mom often joked about it and called her the opposite of her uncle Zack, a man Zoe barely remembered.

Zoe ran a hand through her thick brown hair and sighed, her cheeks puffing out as she did, looking peeved.

"Where am I going, exactly?" She asked herself softly as she moved into a shady looking area. It was a corner, with two old fashioned brick walls that blocked her into it, like a wide alleyway with a small patch of grass that escaped from the other side of the barbed metal fence that went from the two walls. One was a house, and the other looked like an old factory.

She blinked as she spotted a dark ring on the small patch of grass that was there, and the smell of burning filled her nose as she stepped closer to the patch of grass.

"?" Her brows knitted together before she stood the ring, barely perceptible from the rest of the grass, but still visible to a sharp eye.

Zoe bent down and felt the burned grass under her hand, frowning as she did.

"This is like…" Her eyes widened. "A portal to the Shadow World…" She whispered to herself, her hand tightening on the grass under it. She'd heard of a disappearance recently, a man in his middle ages had vanished.

She stood up and looked around herself.

"… I wonder…" She said and moved into the circle. She wanted in, that was for sure. She still, after so many years, wanted to save the youngest Shadow Man, to bring him back.

To carve his name back into the runestave.

She sighed and brought out the Swiss Army knife that was in her pocket. She knew that it was illegal to carry it, but it had belonged to her father, so long ago, and was the same knife her mother had held whilst fighting against Julian.

Her mother had never gone into detail about how she'd gotten into the Shadow World, but Zoe had researched it very thoroughly, obsessing over it, wondering if it was real. As a child, she'd believed it, but once she'd grown older, that belief had faded.

Now, with his potential proof… that belief came rushing back into her body, as did the knowledge she'd gained on what to do, how to get into the Shadow World.

Now, it was just a question of guts, and if she had any.


	5. Guts

**Chapter Four**

Zoe closed her eyes as she debated on what to do. Should she…? Or shouldn't she? Was her curiosity enough for her to risk it all over?

"Okay… here goes nothing…" She said to herself as she decided on what to do.

_I've waited too long for this already… I need to know… so I can focus on getting better grades and spending more time with my friends… _She thought with a determined nod.

Her hand gripped at the handle of the Swiss Army knife tightly, till the tips of her fingers turned red and blood came from the pressure of the nails biting into it.

Not enough blood unfortunately, to do what she knew she'd need to do later, in order for her to go where she needed to go.

Zoe stood up and moved to a nearby door. Where she was, was slightly isolated, and the only door around was a heavy looking metal one. She wasn't going to be fussy about that though. She'd read that a door was needed to do what she was planning on doing, and this metal one would have to do. Zoe had a good memory for facts, not quite photogenic, but on the verge of becoming that.

She flicked the blade out of the red casing before slowly carving the runes into the door. It was harder to do than it would have been on wood, but she managed it. She noticed how all of the runes were easy to create, because of all the straight lines they had.

She smiled. _It's all sliding into place…_

She blinked as it got to the next part of the ritual that she remembered.

"Oh… Lord…" She said to herself and looked at the blade. She'd been dreading this part of the ritual all along. She wasn't a fan of pain, or the sight of blood.

Zoe winced as she slowly drew the knife over the flesh of the palm of her left hand, since she was right handed; the left hand wasn't needed as much.

She let out a hiss and quickly poured the blood into the shallow markings of the runes she'd carved; using the blade of the knife to make sure it went into the door fully.

"Oww…" She said and looked away once she was done, holding her hand between her right armpit to put enough pressure on it to stop the bleeding.

She quickly and breathlessly recited the runes needed for the ritual.

"Dagaz! Thurisaz! Gebo! Isa… Kenanz… R-Raidho…" She stumbled on that one, her mind turning fuzzy for a moment before she closed her eyes. She paused before she said next and final word, the most important one of all… the word that would pierce the veil between the worlds. "Uruz…"

She opened her eyes as she felt the temperature changing and light flashed, black and white, such a shocking white that it almost seemed neon, and such a dark black that it seemed endless. Both of the colours erupted from the door like a black and white nightclub effect, before the runes began to move within the circle she'd created, to dance and twirl over it like the small ballet dancers that came in music boxes before they all began to glow too brightly. As brightly as the after effect lights seemed to have after they became cut off during a storm.

Zoe jumped back and stared. Never in her life had anything like this happened to her. She'd never even dreamed that this would even work...

Her eyes widened as the ground began to shake.

An earthquake? In Britain? Not likely!

No… Zoe knew this was a product of what she'd done, what she'd succeeded in doing.

The door flashed even more brightly than ever before, and a dull roaring occurred, causing Zoe to place her hands over her ears as she closed her eyes against such harsh light.

Zoe's heart began to race as she was struck blind and deaf to her surrounding environment.

She was suddenly extremely fearful.

_What on earth did I do…!_


	6. Into The Dark

**Chapter Five**

Zoe eventually opened her eyes once the light faded against her eyelids, and the shaking of the ground stopped. She sighed in relief and glanced toward the door. It looked normal again. She blinked and shifted a little closer to the door. It looked slightly different, the runes slightly altered in place, but Zoe didn't pay much attention to that fact at that moment. She was more concerned with if what she'd done had just worked.

She moved closer to the door and placed her hand on the handle carefully. She slowly turned the door knob and opened it. She wasn't sure what to expect, but what she saw, well… surprised her.

She saw darkness at first, before she spotted the lights in the distance.

_An amusement park…?_

It was just as her mother had said in her stories.

Zoe looked around a while longer before stepping inside. The door closed behind her and disappeared. She gulped and her heart beat increased.

"Great…" She said softly. She'd clearly not thought this through at all.

She walked forward, spotting several games, none of which were playing. No, the only lights that were on were far away, a Ferris wheel, perhaps, or another large, well lit ride such as that.

She moved forward, her face determined as she moved forward.

_Avoid all working rides, wasn't it? _She thought, trying to remember what her mother had said, all those times to her as a child. She looked around. Nothing was moving at all. It seemed dead, in fact.

She saw a large arch, with writing carved onto the metal of it.

_Welcome to Joyland Park…_

Zoe blinked as she remembered her mother mentioning that name to her. "It's the exact same place as mom described… nothing seems to have changed at all…"

She moved further and further into the park, looking around at the scenery as she moved. She'd not been in America in ages; she'd lived in England for longer than she'd lived here.

Not that she'd ever lived in Pennsylvania, of course, that was where her grandparents had lived.

She moved past small hook-a-duck tents and larger rides as she looked up, toward her goal.

Treasure Island… the place that Julian had kept Tom and her uncle Zack once, according to her mother's bedtime story.

As she got closer to Treasure Island, she felt the air become colder and colder. She shivered and pulled her arms over herself tightly, though it stung due to the shallow cut she'd inflicted on herself earlier, when she had opened the way into this shadow world.

Zoe sighed slightly as she looked around again, seeing all of the candy stalls and popcorn carts, mixed in with the rides. She even passed a large tent filled with all sorts of old fashioned arcade games.

She walked by a large mine ride with a rollercoaster that went into a large looking cave and gasped. "The pit…" She whispered and hurried along, her heart beating even faster as she carried on forward.

_Treasure Island isn't too far away…_ She could see it towering above her; could see the bridge that led to the place. It seemed almost too easy to get this far. She'd expected more of the other Shadow Men. Perhaps they were simply busy? Too busy to deal with her? If that was so she wasn't going to complain about it, that's for sure!

As she continued to walk, she felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck as she moved away from the cave and pits.

Something stirred in the surrounding darkness, unseen to the human eye.


	7. Unexpected

**Chapter Six**

Zoe stilled and looked behind herself as she felt something. Nothing was there, and yet… it felt like there was.

She shivered and stayed still for a moment, frozen by a sudden fear, a fear that took over her with the power of it. Her eyes widened as she saw a figure come out of know where, walking forward toward her, a cloaked figure.

"The little human girl isn't supposed to be here…" A softly beautiful and masculine sounding voice said, only the lips were visible beneath the hood as it spoke.

The voice seemed to hold an otherworldly beauty to it, a haunting quality that set it apart from anything else she'd ever heard before. It was lilting and almost musical.

Whoever, or whatever it was, was much taller than Zoe, and it intimidated her, the tone of voice, the cloak, the low light and the darkness that seemed to hang around the cloaked figure.

"I-I…" Zoe took a step backward. "Who are you? And what do you want…?" She asked as she moved backward.

The lips smiled slightly, curving upward devilishly. "Who am I…?" A chuckle was heard. "I am nobody…" It said and moved closer to her. "You do not need to know my name…" The words were mumbled before he held out a hand to Zoe. "I can take you back to where you belong…"

Zoe blinked and looked at the hand before she shook her head. "I need to free someone…" She said softly and moved back and away from him again.

The lips pulled into angry grimace, showing sharp white teeth.

"Children do not belong here…" The thing said before it moved, lightning fast, grabbing Zoe's arm. "Don't fight me… I could hurt you very badly… little girl…" The teeth fully showed, as sharp as a wolf's. "You have no idea, what you've done, what I could do… what they would do to you…" He mumbled and sighed. He waved his free hand up and drew some runes into the air quickly.

"Go, now… and never do this again…" A dark vortex appeared in front of them, black with threads of purple and blue as it crackled.

Zoe looked up at the thing that held her arm. "You're a Shadow Man… aren't you…? So why…?" She said and shook her head.

She blinked as she saw a faint glimpse of eyes beneath the hood.

They were beautiful. Large, a gently slanted oval shape, framed with thick, dark lashes that seemed to bring out the bright shade of emerald green, a colour ringed by another darker shade of a similar green.

To say that they were breathtakingly beautiful would be an understatement. They were more than that. They were hypnotic and simply unforgettable.

The eyes darkened slightly before he shook his head.

"There is no such thing as pure black or white…" With that, the mysterious Shadow Man pushed Zoe away from himself and into the vortex he'd summoned.

Zoe screamed and her heart exploded in her chest as she was hurled backward, the feeling of falling causing her stomach to plummet, but not as much as the sight of the shadow man's eyes had. She looked at the figure as she moved into the vortex, her gaze not wavering.

A real Shadow Man… was helping her? Nothing like the story's of the Shadow Men she'd heard of before; bar Julian of course.

And Julian had only been nice to her mother.

She kept on screaming in reaction before she landed heavily and painfully onto the grass.

"Oww…" Zoe said softly and moved her hands to her head. She opened her eyes and blinked. She was back in the place where she'd come from...

England.


	8. Haunted

**Chapter Seven**

Zoe moved after a moment and stood up slowly, rubbing at her butt with a scowl.

"Jeez…" She said and closed her eyes. As she did, the sight of those eyes, so green and mysterious, flashed into her mind. Zoe blushed a deep pink and opened them once again.

"I'm supposed to be thinking of Julian…" She said to herself under her breath before she shook her head.

"… However will I save him now…?" The thought entered her head and she sighed deeply before she looked around. She then noticed that it was darker outside and got out her mobile phone, glancing at the time. Her eyes widened.

"Shitakimushrooms! I'm soo grounded!" Zoe exclaimed before she broke out into a run.

It took her half an hour to get back home. It would have taken less time if she'd have run non-stop, but God! How tiring would that have been? Too tiring was what!

Once she was inside the house she was greeted by a sharp shout.

"Zoe! Where on earth have you_ been_? Your father and I were worried sick! We were just debating on calling the police!" A mad looking Jenny said, hands on hips, well… oven mitts on hips, anyway, as she stood next to the oven, her gaze thunderous.

Tom was sat down, a frown on his face. "You should have called us. You've been gone for over four hours… that's not acceptable… you know the rules of the house." He said simply. "You are grounded for the rest of the week. And that means no friends over either!"

Zoe winced at that and looked down. "I'm sorry…" She said softly, not even arguing. She knew it would just make her parents even angrier than they already were.

She looked up at her mother and tilted her head. "Need any help with the dinner, mom?" She asked.

Yes… it would be golden behaviour from now on, so that she might be able to get out of the grounding sooner rather than later.

Zoe was nothing if not cunning, that was for sure!

Jenny sighed slightly. "Get the cutlery out and set the table and go and hug your father… you know how he gets…."

**...**

After that, Zoe pretty much did as that Shadow Man had told her to do.

She never tried to go back to the Shadow World again. She tried not to even think about it.

But those green eyes… they haunted her dreams now, more vivid than the ones she'd had over Julian, since she'd actually seen these eyes, seen the gem-like quality, seen the impossible beauty.

She sighed and closed her eyes, daydreaming in class; the buzz of the other student's talking surrounded her.

Ever since she'd gone into the Shadow World and had seen that Shadow Man, her life had become so different.

She'd noticed slight changes in herself and her surroundings. Her friends said that she had a dreamy look about her now, almost grown up and model-like.

Zoe shrugged it off, but deep down, she knew she was changing. Knew that her experience made her different in a way she'd never been before.

She'd looked the devil in the eye and had seen kindness there… a certain warmth beneath the cold.

Zoe wasn't sure if she could forget those eyes and the expression within them…


	9. Prom

**Chapter Eight**

**Three years later…**

Jenny sighed as she looked down at her daughter. She was sixteen and going to prom... alone?

"Weren't you asked by anyone…?" Jenny asked, sitting down with a cup of coffee in two hands, looking intently at Zoe.

Zoe shook her head. "It's not that..." In fact, a great number of boys and even a few girls had asked Zoe!

"I just want to have a good time with my friends is all, without having to bother with some guy in particular…" She said softly and looked down.

Jenny opened her mouth and let out a sigh. She swore that this Zoe was a mixture of herself and Summer at times. Independent like Jenny, but also a little… ditzy like Summer. "Fin-"

The doorbell rang and Zoe looked at her mom before kissing her cheek gently and saying a quick goodbye before she moved to look over herself in the mirror quickly.

She was wearing a green dress that flared at the hips, the material clinching at the waist and becoming slightly see-through as it passed the top of her thighs before the ends became fashionably ragged and uneven. The colour of it lit up her eyes and complimented her warm olive skin tone and chocolate coloured hair.

She looked stunning, especially with her gently shadowed eyes, blushing cheeks and glossy lips.

She smiled at her reflection and skipped over to the door, opening it with a flourish.

Standing there was two males and a female. "Our dates are in the limo…" The small, slightly overweight, yet very classically pretty girl said. Her short black hair was full and hugged her prominent cheekbones, her full fringe ending at her eyebrows and drawing attention to amber, almond eyes, heavily outlined with liquid eyeliner.

The boys just stood there, their tall, lanky frames emphasised by the dark suits they wore.

One of them, Darrel, was handsome in a cool way, his eyes, usually cold, lit up slightly. "You look nice today…" He said softly before moving over to the limo.

Zoe giggled slightly. "Can't wait to get back to your date, huh Dar?" She said fondly and smiled at her friend. "You look nice, Kat…" She said and received the same compliment back for her efforts.

The other boy was a total nerd but one that looked adorable with it, with thick square glasses, neat features and a sweet smile. "You'll be the centre of attention tonight…" He mumbled as he followed behind the two girls.

The limo contained two boys and one girl. The girl was shy looking and a little bit too thin. The two males were very different. One was a rocker that wore eyeliner and was sexy in a rough and ruffled way, and the other male was tiny and very, very cute.

Dar was the first to get into the car, moving to sit next to the very tiny and cute male. "Have you been okay in here?" He asked and hugged the small boy close, whom turned a deep, terrible red colour.

"Yeah…" The lad said softly and hid his face into Dar's side.

Zoe looked at them and couldn't help but find it adorable. "Na'ww…" She said before sitting down by them, letting her other two friends sit next to their dates.

The nerd closed the door behind them all and the limo slowly took off, toward the school.

…

The prom was buzzing with life and excitement.

The hall that the prom featured in was decorated slightly, the theme being romance and the music gentle and old, ones known throughout the ages, even some from before the 50's!

Zoe smiled at her friends as they walked with her. "Looks like fun…" She said and looked for a free table. She spotted one and led the way, looking radiant even in the low lighting.

It was not long before she invited to dance. Zoe was such a nice girl that she did not reject anyone, dancing away, swaying under the lights, and talking to her partners, laughing away with them.

If it had been anyone else, the girls would have been jealous, but Zoe since was such a nice person, she was loved throughout the school.

Zoe smiled up slightly at her newest partner. He was tall without being overly intimidating, and she wasn't quite sure if she'd seen him before. "Have we met before…?" She asked, having the feeling that they had met, despite that she could have sworn that it was not in High School.

There was a pause before a hauntingly beautiful voice broke the silence, filling the air with an otherworldly beauty, but that was softly masculine as well as being lilting and musical.

"We might have… once upon a time…"


	10. The Big Bad

**Chapter Nine**

Zoe blinked, her eyes widening as she recognised the voice.

It was the voice of a Shadow Man.

His face had been and still was blocked out by both the darkness and the low lighting as he towered above her, only his mouth and strong jaw-line visible.

Zoe took in a sharp intake of breath and stepped backward, but she became prevented from going very far due to the Shadow Man holding her wrists tightly in his grip of steel, a grip so tight it pinched like a tight metal adjustable wristband.

"Let me go…" She said in a breathless tone of voice, trying to wriggle out of his grip even as she wanted to go limp from fright.

Her hands and body shook slightly as a fine tremor of fear washed through her as he held her.

He affected her so powerfully.

The Shadow Man's full lips pulled into a smirk. "I'm not the type of guy that takes orders…" He said in a suddenly growling voice before he easily pulled Zoe close to him, as though she was as weak as a kitten. His hands moved around her waist and he began to sway with her in his arms on the dance floor. "Did you save yourself for me?" He whispered into her ear.

Zoe felt shivers go down her spine. "O-of course not…" She whispered in a suddenly faint and uneven voice.

It was hard to focus on speaking while his body brushed against hers and as his hands were on the small of her back. She felt crowded, battered by her thoughts, emotions, and the strange new feelings that invaded her body.

"W-why are you here?" She said after a small silence as they danced, wondering why the Shadow Man was no longer speaking to her.

"What if I could help you get Julian back…? If I could help you to carve his name into the runestave? To kill the other Shadow Men?" The one that held Zoe tightly to him said, his eyes closed as they swayed to the music.

Zoe's heart stopped. "Why would you do that? What's in it for you?" She asked carefully.

The Shadow Man looked down and opened his eyes, before leaning his head down until his eyes became visible.

Such beautiful eyes… it was a shock to the senses to see them once again. It was as though she had forgotten about them, despite having dreamed about them day and night for just under three years now.

"In it for me? Why…? Because then I get to become the big bad… Julian is a pussy cat compared to the old guys…" The man said as he looked down at Zoe intently. "I know how I can control him… but the others… they are too powerful, too dark and set in their ways…"

Zoe blinked at that. "But… how could you possibly control Julian?"

The Shadow Man smirked at that. "I have my ways… let's just leave it at that…" He said and looked at her. "I'm giving you an easy way to do this, to get him back… if you're not with me, then you're against me…"

Zoe gulped and looked into those eyes, eyes that captivated her. She could see all of his face now.

He had a small and perfect nose that matched the rest of his features, rather than looking odd and out of place. His hair was shiny and very black, blacker than the darkness around him; it was the shortest at the back before it got longer at the front before becoming the longest at the fringe that ended just past his jaw. His eyebrows were thick and dark also, without being overpowering or overly bushy, straight until it curved downward gently at the narrowest point.

He was perfect in every way.

"I need time to think things through…" Zoe said, her cheeks burning a deep red as she looked away from him after her obvious staring session.

"Fine… you have twenty four hours till I'll come back… if you're not done by then… your mothers story will seem like a walk in the park…" He said before moving his lips to Zoe's cheek softly before he dissipated into the shadows.

Zoe sighed and slid to the floor, her head in her hands as her vision swam.

"God… what have I gotten into?" She got out before her friends, whom as soon as they arrived began to ask her various questions as soon as they were near, surrounded her.  
>"Are you okay…?" One voice said, echoed by several others.<p>

_No… I'm not okay… _ She thought, but reassured them otherwise as they fawned over her.

_And I don't think I will be until this nightmare ends…_


	11. Plotting

**Chapter Ten**

It was not long after that that Zoe went home, the trauma of the event getting to her. Zoe sighed and looked at the time. It was seven thirty, which meant that within this time tomorrow, she would have hell to pay.

"How can I possibly help that guy to kill the other Shadow Men?" Zoe mumbled to herself as the car moved. Her mind so deep in thought that she did not notice that the car had stopped until t he door was opened for her.  
>"We're here… you know…" The driver said softly as he looked over his shoulder at his passenger, whom seemed far away with such distant eyes.<p>

Zoe blinked those eyes and looked at the driver, smiling slightly. "I didn't realise… thank-you for your time and sorry for the trouble…" She mumbled and handed the driver a ten-pound note before getting out of the car and closing the door behind herself. She walked quickly until she was inside, feeling safer once she was before she slid down the door and closed her eyes.

She hardly believed what had happened to her, it was like a bad dream.

"Zoe…?" Her mother's voice came from the front room and footsteps sounded as she came close. "What's wrong?" Her mother asked her, kneeling by Zoe and placing an arm on her daughters shoulder. "I got a phone call from the school…"  
>Zoe glanced up at her mother and gave her a strained sigh. "What would you say… if I told you that the Shadow Men were back?" She said softly, a hand moving to her forehead as she said that.<p>

Jenny's mouth opened and closed. "I… I…" She looked deeply shocked before she stood up, shaking slightly. "It can't be… I should never have told you those stories…"

Zoe stood up also, her face strained. "It's true…" She said and stepped forward.

"Stop it!" Jenny said and shook her head. "Go to your room, you're grounded!" Jenny said before going into the kitchen. Sure, her reaction was harsh, but she had nightmare of such things, of Zoe whisked away from her by the darkness of that world.

Zoe sighed and went without arguing. She should never have mentioned it to her mother…

…

It was the weekend, and as usual a lie in was in order!

Zoe stirred past , a smile on her face as light streamed in through the window and onto her face as she stretched. "Hmm…" She mumbled and opened her eyes.

She felt happy… until she remembered what had happened last night. She looked over at her alarm clock and cursed. "Why didn't I set it for earlier? I need more time to think!" She said and tore out of the bed quickly, before she got ready for the day.

Jenny was down the stairs, in the kitchen, making breakfast for her and Zoe. She'd gotten up late also. As usual, Tom was away at work. They hardly ever had time for one another these days, Tom working hard and often doing overtime for more and more money, focusing on that, rather than spending time with his wife and child.

Jenny looked up as she saw Zoe come down the stairs and sighed slightly. "I'm sorry love…" She said softly. The sleep had calmed her down some. "Tell me about what happened over breakfast…" She said as she fried a couple of eggs in a pan filled with smoked bacon.

Once the full English style breakfast was done, with Zoe's help with the table as she always did, they ate, Zoe telling her mother about what had happened up until last night.

Once Zoe had finished with the food and story, Jenny placed down her fork and sighed slightly.

"I see… if that is the case… we need a plan…" She said and moved over to her daughter and whispering into her ear.

"First things first…"


	12. The Easy Way

**Chapter Eleven**

Zoe blinked at the plan. "But… what if it goes wrong?" She said and shook her head slightly.

Jenny sighed. "Either way, he'll pull you into this, by the sounds of things…" Her mother said and shook her head. "It'll be fine, so long as you go along with the plan, you know that I'll help in any way I can…"

Zoe nodded and sighed slightly, looking down at herself as she thought about it. "You're right… what other choice do I have…?" She said softly before she moved.

"I'd best get prepared for what is to come…" Zoe said, looking and sounding older than her years as she looked at her mother with harder eyes than any sixteen year old should have. "Wish… me luck…"

"No… I'll wish _us_ luck…" Jenny said softly, suddenly looking much older also, looking much more like her actual age than usual.

Zoe smiled slightly at that and nodded before she moved away to pack her things for the upcoming danger she was about to face.

…

Some hours later, Zoe was done packing her things and was dressed the part. She wore combat boots, bought for when her family would walk across the long rolling hills that occupied England's countryside, and some fashionably baggy cameo's along with a simple white shirt that hugged her small waist. She looked ready for action, simply put.

Zoe looked in the mirror as she put on some chapstick and sighed before running her fingers through thick tussled hair. She looked ready for a photo-shoot, advertising some fashion label or outdoor wear, rather than a girl waiting for her potential doom!

She shook her head and closed her eyes briefly before she moved down the stairs. "Okay mom… I'm ready…" Zoe said in an odd tone of voice before she sat down to eat her dinner, one of her hands clutching at her backpack strap as the other, very gracefully (**not**!) shovelled the cheesy macaroni into her open gob.

"Don't eat with one hand…" Jenny said with a sigh and shook her head. "It's not polite…" She added as she heard Zoe begin to protest.

"I'm about to try and trick a _**Shadow Man**_… like I'm going to **care** about my_ manners_!" Zoe mumbled with a perfectly plucked eyebrow raised as she spoke.

Jenny frowned. "It doesn't make any difference, really, Zoe… we'll be _fine_… I know we will…"

Zoe bit her lip and nodded, hot tears suddenly clouding her eyes as she looked down at her half eaten meal. "I-I just… don't want it to end this way… I wanted to set Julian free… that's all I ever wanted…" She mumbled sadly.

Jenny sighed and got up, moving to her daughter's side and hugging her gently to herself. "There there, Zoe… it's alright… I know… it's my fault for telling you about Julian in the first place…" Jenny said and started to tear up as well. "I just… couldn't think of another fairy tale… and once I started, you pushed for more and I caved… God… I'm such a bad mother…"

Zoe blinked and looked up at Jenny, her face filled with even greater sadness now. "No… you're a great mom… you tell me things other parents never would… you're honest and you're my best friend…" She said and sighed, hugging her mother gently and closely to herself.

"It's all my fault… and I _have_ to sort it out… it's my responsibility to do so…" Zoe said her face determined and no longer afraid.

Jenny began to laugh slightly. "My daughter… you're sounding like a true Brit!" She said and tightened her arms around her daughter's slim frame. "I'm proud of you, honey…" She said softly before kissing Zoe's forehead and letting her go. "Never give in…"

Zoe looked up at her mother and smiled yet again. "I won't… I'm too much like you to ever give in without a heck of a fight…"

…

As soon as the clock truck 7pm, Zoe was on full alert mode as she sat on her bed, her face and eyes strained as she waited for the creature of shadows to come and whisk her away.

Zoe frowned slightly and looked around. "He's not… coming…?" She said softly and closed her eyes. All this preparation… for nothing? All this stress? "That jerk-"

"Excuse me…?" Said a beautiful voice from somewhere behind Zoe, from near the window that opened up onto the roof.

Zoe whirled around and gasped slightly at the sight of the Shadow Man.

He was just so… beautiful…

More beautiful than if Ian Somerhalder and Jensen Ackles could have a child; and those are two mega hot men!

Zoe hardened her face and her heart, though could not seem to dampen her hormones down. "Well… you said 24 hours… and I didn't think you'd be late, is all…" She said, standing up and folding her arms over her chest protectively.

The Shadow Man laughed at that, it sounded like a beautiful tinkling noise like small bells ringing at different pitches. "I've come for your decision, Zoe…" The man said after his laughing died down naturally, leaving a beautiful imprint in the air around them.

Zoe gulped slightly as she looked at him, her face worried and pale.

"So… tell me… are we doing this the easy way… or the hard way…?" The Shadow Man said as he moved close to her, a hand pausing, hovering, over her cheek, unable to touch her without permission. Last time, she'd agreed to dance with him, agreed to be in his arms.

Zoe turned slightly red and stepped back.

"The easy way…" She whispered. "I'll help you defeat the other Shadow Men…"


End file.
